Changing Season
by Poison Rose
Summary: Her reappearance was unexpected... but does New Generation X member Marco truly realise the effect it'll have on him? Mentions of Iceman/OC. If you like Bobby Drake, this may not be for you lol I haven't done Xmen fanfic in a while lol please review!
1. Glimpse

**Changing Season**

**Disclaimer: **Xmen isn't mine...

**Note: **I've decided not to continue my Natalie Saga, but I still think that there's alot I can do with her character. You can read it to find out who Natalie is, but it's not necessary in order to understand this story.

**Feedback: **As always, constructive criticism is welcome... and reviews make me happy lol

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The first time he sees her, he thinks he must be imagining things. She hasn't been seen around here for years; not since... well not since what he refers to in his mind as 'el incidente'.

Everyone else just figured she'd left because she couldn't take it anymore, but they weren't exactly correct.

Only three people- possibly for, but he doubts it- know exactly why she left, but then again, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that she actually left.

Marco clenches a glove covered fist as the circumstances surrounding her departure threaten to reawaken the anger he usually keeps simmering below the surface.

She shouldn't have had to leave.

He tries, somewhat unsuccessfully, to shake the negative thoughts away as he observes her discreetly from behind his sunglasses.

She hasn't changed a bit, it seems. Strolling down the street with that ludmouth friend of hers- Jubilee?- she's giggling.

An odd sensation passes through him just for an instant, but he shrugs it away. He considers crossing the street to say 'hi', but pauses, unsure.

The way she looks about every now and then belies the happy expression on her face.

He realises this place makes her jumpy; after all that's happened to her here, he can't really blame her. Not many at the institute supported her descision to leave, and among the Xmen, word travels fast.

He had understood and agreed with her reasons, more than anyone. She had needed to get away from all this.

Glancing one last time as she's swallowed up in the crowd, he hopes she's found the peace she was looking for when she left. He doesn't know if he'll see her again, but either way, he's glad for the glimpse he had.

It makes him smile.


	2. Flicker

**Disclaimer: **Xmen belongs to other people...duh..

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The second time he sees her, he knows it'll be different because of two things. One: his best friend's with him, and that's a very bad thing because Jake's an empath.

Two: she's alone, although he can't imagine why, because she's beautiful.

His first impulse is once again to say hi because... well... she's alone, and looking way more comfortable than she did when he saw her three months ago.

He squashes that impulse as ruthlessly as he did before. He doesn't want to bring back unpleasant memories for her.

She's here at the mall, and she looks happy. Maybe she's taking her kids to see a movie or something. He continues his inner monologue until he becomes aware of Jake's eyes on him.

Great, just great.

He frowns. "What?"

"Don't you 'what' me! I'm standing, minding my own business, when all this emotion comes at me like an avalanche!"

He winces. "Sorry."

And he genuinely is. He knows how hard his friend works at shutting out the emotions of others, and how much it hurts.

He glances across the court and sees her enter Fredricks of Hollywood. There's that funny sensation again and he feels his face go hot.

He feels Jake's eyes on him.

"Suarez?"

He still doesn't make eye contact with his friend, but walks slowly in the direction of the boutique. Jake follows him, still confused.

"What's going on?" His friend's words seem to jolt him out of his reverie, and he blinks at the empath in surprise.

He doesn't know what came over him, but he feels like needs to get away. As he turns and walks away, Jake hurrying behind him, he tries to deny how much he had really wanted to see her again.


	3. Memories

**Disclaimer: **Not mine... ok, this story is mine lol

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He remembers the look on her face when she discovered the truth, even though he hadn't been there in person.

The utter devastation, the heartache- although, oddly, no shock.

He remembered how she stumbled out of the room the room into the corridor, how the door closed on the tears starting to creep down her cheeks.

Marco remembers it like it happened mere hours ago, even though the memories are not his.

Of their meeting in the corridor outside his room he remembers too much, from both sides.

The look on his face, the look on her face, the sense of betrayal, the cold fury... for a long time he hadn't been able to distinguish which feelings had belonged to which person.

Although he's pretty sure the killing anger was his; he hadn't been the most stable person at that time.

He'd watched her pack, silently supporting her.

And he'd stayed the Institute for one reason: she'd made him promise to stay, to learn to control his mutation.

How he'd stayed there all those years without killing the Iceman is a question even he himself doesn't know the answer to. Marco had never cared much for his former principal; from that time on, he'd distanced himself.

As one of many at the Institute, he's become rather good at blending in, while shutting most people out.

He has very few friends, and Jake's the only one he's told about his past, about how much he regrets all the lives he took.

Jake calms him, mainly because he doesn't judge.

Even so, he hasn't told Jake about her, about what she did for him.

He feels strange talking about her, and so, he doesn't.

Marco just pours himself into being an Xman; but somehow, thoughts of her still spring to his mind, unbidden.


	4. Finally

**Disclaimer: **I am thoroughly sick of these... Xmen isn't mine...

**Summary: **An outing takes an interesting twist...

**Note:** I know the chapters are short, but I actually prefer them that way... it makes updating easier lol

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They're at the mall again, actually relaxing. The last mission went well and everyone's happy.

He brushes the hand of the popcorn vendor accidentally and spends the next five minutes getting the man's memories out of his head. Usually he's wearing his gloves, but Jake has told him how creepy it looks, so he humours his friend just this once.

The headaches are worth it, he tells himself.

Jake, however, has been trying to get his attention and Marco tunes back into the conversation.

"... definately hot, but totally out of my league, man."

He rolls his eyes; that's Jake's opinion of almost every girl he sees. Following his best friend's gaze, he takes in a girl about a foot shorter than he is, in jeans a red halter.

She has familiar ameythyst eyes.

He chokes on his popcorn.

Three times in one year; something has definately changed.

After battling internally for about 20 seconds, he makes up his mind.

As he walks over to her purposefully under Jake's confused gaze, the question running through his mind is:_what if she doesn't recognise me?_

A small part of him is anxious, of course... he doesn't know how she'll react to him. The bigger part of him feels this need to speak with her that's been growing stronger.

She's seated with her back to him and, holding his breath, he clears his throat.

She doesn't hear him.

he tried again, a blush on his face. "Ms. Darkholme?"

Her head whips around to meet his eyes, and in that instant, time seems to halt and he wonders for an absurd momment it Stopwatch is here playing tricks on him again like she used to do so long ago.

But that can't be true because she's left the Xmen and time hasn't really stopped.

Ms. Darkholme- ok, so that's no longer her name, but there is no way in hell he's ever going to call her by the Iceman's last name- looks surprised.

He can't blame her.

"Marco?"

He nods and feels rediculously pleased.

She remembers him.

And she's smiling.

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Read and review as always... constructive criticism, please.


	5. Musings

Changing Season

**Disclaimer:** Xmen doesn't belong to me…

**Note:** It's moving a bit slowly, I know, but it'll pick up from here.

**Feedback: **Oh, absolutely… and any suggestions are welcomed, of course:)

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The ride back to the hotel is comfortable for the most part. She wants to know all about him, about what he's been doing for the past seven years, and he finds himself opening up to her in a way he hasn't, even to Jake.

It's familiar and comfortable because she's the only person he's ever opened up to this way in the past. For a while, he wondered if it was because she'd saved him and given his life purpose.

However, he's come to the conclusion that it's not that… well, not entirely, anyway. He's never been one to idolize people after all. He just likes her because of her personality.

She's never made him feel guilty about his past, never treated him like a traumatized child. She speaks to him like he's an ordinary person.

He remembers her truly making an effort to reach out to him and he finds himself missing those days more and more.

As he listens to her talk, he thinks that she may have been hiding away in England all these years because her accent's stronger than he remembers it to be.

They're at a red light now and she looks at him with an expression he can't read. He asks about her kids and about where she lives now, for the information, yes… but mostly because he wants to hear that accent of hers again.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as they pull up to the Hilton, he notices that she doesn't look her age; she could actually pass for a college student. He supposes her mutation must have had something to do with that.

He raises a brow as he realizes that she's pierced her ears again. As if she's reading his mind (which she very well could be, who knows what other abilities she's developed?), she smiles and tells him why she did it.

She says it almost shyly, andd he gets that funny feeling again.

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**As always, I appreciate constructive reviews.**


	6. Realisations

**Changing Season**

**Disclaimer: **Xmen isn't mine… Natalie and Marco are.

**Feedback: **Of course, reviews are always welcome. I need them in order to improve lol

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It's the size of the room that strikes him first; it's spacious with a grand piano and a bar, and opens up on to a balcony that overlooks the kiddie pool.

As he looks around in amazement, he's dying to ask just how much a night this place is. He changes his mind when he notices her looking uncomfortable.

He remembers that her family's wealth is something she's never elaborated on and he doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

As he settles on the sofa, he notices that the watch she's wearing isn't the same one the Iceman had given her, and something inside him twists in satisfaction.

But she's trying to get his attention now, reminding him to check in with Jake. He does, ignoring the knowing verbal nudges of his friend.

This meeting isn't anything like Jake thinks it is.

She's someone he respects, someone he was once willing to kill for and to die for. He smiles at her as she offers up an amusing experience about her trip here, and he realizes that he would still protect her with his life.

He sees her catch his earnest look and blush, self consciously moving a tendril of hair out of her face.

"Leave it." He finds himself saying, and blushes himself.

The look she gives him is inquiring.

"It looks nice that way," he finds himself offering, although he truly has no idea what's gotten into him.

How she wears her hair is her own business; he's only a kid, a 17 year old former colleague. Why should his opinion matter?

He expects her to wave off his comments, or giggle at him the way she used to when he was ten.

He doesn't expect it when she gives him a small smile and gently moves the tendril to it's former position.

"I like it that way too." She says, sounding a lot less like herself, more vulnerable.

His heart rate accelerates slightly, and in that moment, he knows he's in trouble.

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**Did you like it? Next chapter coming soon!**


	7. Secrets

Changing Seasons

Disclaimer: We all know by now that Xmen doesn't belong to me lol

Summary: Things are getting interesting...

A/N: The words in Italics are Marco's thoughts.

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It's the sneaking out that worries Jake, he can tell. His friend's okay with it, though, just senses that there's something about her that Marco's keeping hidden.

Marco would love to tell Jake exactly what's going on, something that surprises even him. He's even run through ways to tell him, but somehow, the words don't exactly roll off the tongue.

_"Hey man, she's great, her name's Natalie, and she's our ex- principal's exwife! What? Yeah, the famous Overload, the one that rescued me from Mitchell! Huh? Oh, no, well... we're not exactly seeing each other..."_

No, he doesn't think so.

It's just complicated, and he's aware that he's got to be very careful.

Jake thinks he's seeing an old girlfriend and he hasn't done much to downplay that notion, after all, it's not really all that farfetched.

They really are old friends, nevermind the fact that she's 33 with two kids and he's barely out of high school.

None of that matters when they meet and talk, and now they meet and talk fairly often. Despite this, jake pretty much doesn't try to stop him from leaving to see her.

His friend does, however, raise objections when Marco tells Ms. Pryde he's spending two weeks in London during the summer to catch up with an old friend.

Marco hears Jake out because he's aware that his friend likes making sure he knows what he's doing.

They actually argue for over an hour, which is a little long for them bu not surprising. Marco doesn't want to carry his tracer, he just wants to get away.

Jake however, being Jake, knows there's more to this than his friend is letting on, and in the end, he has to blackmail Marco for his friend to capitulate into carrying some form of tracer.

It's as though he knows that his friend is walking into danger, but for now, he decides to keep his worry to himself.

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**Please review!!!**


	8. Pause

Changing Season

**Disclaimer**: Xmen doesn't belong to me...

**A/N**: Hi, this is actually the fastest I've ever posted chapters lol there's more to come soon.

**Summary: **Just before the mission...

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"Are you sure you want to come inside?" she asks for the third time in the last 15 minutes, ten of which they've spent inside the car in London traffic.

He's amused, but tries to look annoyed.

"Look mami, I did not fly all the way over here to sit at home and have tea and crumpets. If you didn't want me to come, you shouldn't have told me what you're planning to do."

She rolls her eyes and he surpresses a grin. They both know she's not going in there alone. Thinking back on when she tod him her plan, he frowns a little.

She's a determined person, as brave as he remembers her being, willing to put her life on the line for others. It's what made them follow her as leader all those years ago.

It's also why he's going with her now.

This mission is personal, and those are the ones he knows she has difficulty stepping away from when things get overwhelming.

He's there as the voice of reason... or so he tells himself.

Her eyes flicker to his briefly and she smiles. "You look nice."

Marco tries his best not to blush and makes a noise in his throat. The tux isn't at all his usual style, but the Hellfire Club's dress code is well known among the Xmen, and the last thing he wants is for her to go in there alone just because he was too stubborn to wear a tux.

He gives her another brief glance and fails to stop the blush this time.

No, she most definitely was not going in there alone. Not dressed like that.

As she turns left at an intersection, he asks "You really think we have a chance at finding her?"

She blows out a short breath. "I hope so."

He doesn't press further, electing instead to spend the rest of the ride in silence. he knows the plan; after all they've been over it three times already.

The mission is dangerous- they could very well end up being killed- but all he concerns himself with at this momment is admiring her resolve.

She's told him herself how unsettled the Club makes her, and, listening to what she's told him about her last time there, he can understand that.

Yet, here she is.

He starts to realise how much he truly missed her bravery, and he finds himself feeling immensely grateful that she's found him again.

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**Hope you liked it:) As always, reviews are welcome.**


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